Bother!
by PieceOfMyHeart
Summary: Bruce's foolishness gets him in a bit of bother... One-shot intended but maybe adding more!


**I'm baaack! So in 3 weeks i'm off to uni, I just turned 18, scary stuff! I will be more active from here on though. So yeah this came to me randomly and it grew arms and legs in my mind so I thought I'd share it. It was intended as a one-shot but I enjoyed writing this so much, if you guys like it, I'll add a few more of Bruce being an adorable idiot :) So go on, read! :D**

* * *

Tony pauses in his work to wipe a sleeve over his sodden brow before resuming his intense work. Bruce held a peculiar shaped piece of metal against an even more peculiar shaped strip while Tony hammered and screwed it in place. Bruce was just as tired looking as Tony; all the heavy lifting and manual work tiring him out big time. Tony had decided to continue working on his latest suit that day and Bruce had eagerly offered to help him which Tony happily accepted. They had just about finished the body armour and were close to moving to the helmet. The body stood like a knight's armour on display.

"One more screw I think will hold it. Round about….here! What do you say, Bruce?" Tony held a large screw against the metal and looked up at Bruce in excitement. Bruce rolled his eyes at the enthusiasm and offered his approval. Once that was in place, Bruce let go on the strip and stood back, stretching his weary arms.

"Looks pretty awesome, if I do say so myself." Tony nudged Bruce in the gut "we're on fire today, Big Guy!" Bruce laughed and lifted the arm of the suit.

"I believe we are. Just the helmet and you're good to go, or fly." He flexed the fingers of the suit, noticing the tips of the joints missing. When he showed his partner, he received a quizzing look.

"They must be in the storage room along with the prototype faceplate. Could you grab them for me whilst I shift this armour?" Tony grumbled.

Bruce nodded and made his way to the back of the lab towards the large door. He reached for the handle and quickly discovered the door to be locked; odd. He glanced at the keyhole and then the usual spot of the key, a little screw that jutted out the wall inches from the door frame. Neither held what he was looking for.

"Tony, where's the key?" Bruce turned and raised his eyebrows. _You would think if a guy was working with all sorts of tool, the storage room full of tools would be unlocked_, he thought to himself with a sigh.

"Its not on the screw? Emmm I don't know actually." Tony scratched his chin. Bruce groaned and started searching for the missing key. 15 minutes later, still no key.

"I don't think it's here, Tony. Tony?" Bruce turned round just in time to see Tony disappear into the corridor. Bruce turned back towards the door with a growl and noticed a small vent in the wall. It sat around waist height. Bruce kneeled down and quickly removed the vented cover to reveal a thick square hole leading right into the room. A table sat at the same level as the vent's bottom edge. He could see the plate sitting on the shelf on the opposite wall. Bruce looked back at the lab door; still no Tony.

_This would be so much quicker and easier_, Bruce sighed to himself and eyed the hole.

"Jarvis, where's Tony?"

"Currently in the kitchen, Doctor Banner. I would highly suggest waiting for him to return." Bruce instinctively glanced at the ceiling while the AL spoke.

_I could slip in and out and try and finish the model for him! He needs a break after all_, Bruce smiled to himself.

He glanced at his stomach. He had put on some weight since New York and was conscious about it. His incredibly tight middle now flabbed softly and bulged out slightly, especially when Bruce was sitting. He was horrified and considering a new diet. However looking at the hole, he was sure he would fit.

After a few seconds, he sized the hole as big enough and started to climb through with a shrug. He popped his arms and head through easily and rested his elbows against the table's surface. The room was dark expect the light filtering in from the vent. He struggled onwards and squeezed his shoulders in after a minute or so. His chest followed in the same manner. His body moved slowly forward, the room darkening as he progressed, when suddenly he jutted to a halt with a soft thud.

"What on earth?" Bruce turned his head to see the start of his belly filling the vent. He reached out and grabbed the table's edge and pulled. His feet pushed against the floor outside in the lab while he wriggled his middle to only struggle a few centimetres. He reached out for the plate but his fingers only brushed the edge of the shelf. Bruce grumbled and braced his hands against the wall and gained a mere inch to come to another halt. No matter how hard he pulled and pushed, he refused to move any further forward. He sighed and mumbled about the things he does out of love as he reached out again; his fingers tickled the plate and he happily grabbed it and brought it down. He couldn't see well enough to know if the joints where there but the clinking of metal told him they were.

Satisfied and quite proud, Bruce grunted as he started backing out; his middle wiggling furiously and his feet tugging sharply.

He didn't budge.

"ugh! Uh oh…" Bruce whispered. He tried again and gained the same results. "This can't be happening!" Looking back, he could just make out the problem. In his attempts to move forward, he squeezed his belly in until it could go no further. Sadly this meant his belly has passed the point of backing out. The soft flesh bulged around either side; he couldn't see the edge of the vent. More than seeing this, he felt the wall biting into his sides. He was stuck.

"Jarvis, help!" Bruce panicked.

"I am sorry, Doctor Banner but I cannot. Your body is just simply too big to fit through the gap. However you forced yourself to the point you can no longer dislodge yourself, not matter how hard you try. I have no physical aspect that could help you. I suggest waiting for Sir to return." Bruce winced at the knowing tone hidden in the voice.

"I really have no choice." Bruce slumped, his body hanging at an odd angle from the wall. His toes barely scraped the floor, his legs dangling. He breathed deeply to calm himself and hide his head in his hands. Now that he was jammed in the hole, the room was black, except from the tiny stream from the key hole frame that was a metre from Bruce; it offered little to no light however. _Tony will be down soon, he will know what to do_, Bruce reasoned with himself but he then cringed. Tony. What will he say when he walks in to Bruce's lower half sticking out the wall? Bruce whimpered and wiggled back and forth. His body froze when he hear his name.

* * *

Tony ran back into the lab triumphantly. He had suddenly remembered placing the key in his bedroom and sprinted off to get it, detouring first to the kitchen. He held it up and scanned the room.

"Brucey, where are you?" He wandered over to the suit and frowned. He put the key down as he heard an odd noise. Confused, he rounded the table to investigate when he seen movement out the corner of his eye. He turned his head and his eyes shot open at the struggling backside of his friend.

"Bruce, what are you doing?" He approached him, or the lower half of him, and took in the sight. Bruce froze, his body stiff and ridged.

"I, ugh, well you see, I thought, maybe ummm" Bruce flopped in defeat. Tony could barely hear the doctor. He sighed and shook his head before he cut the stuttering off. Bruce wasn't telling him anytime soon.

"Jarvis, care to explain?"

"Doctor Banner decided, after he discovered the vent connecting the storage room to the lab, while you were retrieving the key to the door, that he would enter the room that way and collect the materials to save time and help you proceed further in your work. He however, forced himself in to the point he can no longer move." Bruce could have sworn he hear amusement in his voice.

"H-he's stuck?" Tony said slowly in a monotone. He eyed Bruce's limp body with a raised eyebrow.

"Quite tightly, Sir." He hear a small, shaky sigh.

Tony blinked and reached behind him for the key. Unlocking the storage room door, he turned the light on and was greeted with a ridiculous sight. Bruce lay on the table, his arms splayed out and his chin against the surface, his stomach wedged in to the point Tony couldn't see where the wall held him. He had made it pretty far, his ribs barely clear of the wall. Tony could see exactly what Jarvis had meant; Bruce couldn't move at all. The doctor looked up through his eyelashes and was shying away from the sudden light.

Tony couldn't help it, he burst out laughing and crumbled against the wall, much to Bruce's dismay. He whimpered and hide his face in his arms. Tony calmed himself as best he could after a minute.

"I'm sorry. Aw jeesh you look like Winnie the Pooh! Bruce?" Tony spluttered and approached the embarrassed man when he received no answer. He kneeled to eye level and lifted his chin up to see the sullen eyes. "Whats wrong, bud?"

"What exactly do you think is wrong? I'm stuck in this wretched hole because I've become too goddamn fat!" Bruce narrowed his eyes and pulled his head free. Tony caught him wiggling his belly slightly. Tony watched and inhaled.

"Hey, you're not fat!" Tony frowned at Bruce's angry tone. Bruce stiffly pulled his arms below him and propped himself onto his elbows.

"Well I clearly am, look at me!" Bruce poked the part of his belly they could see, "I could have fit before but I've put on too much weight since I came here and you can't deny it!" Bruce snarled, his eyes flashing green.

"Yeah, you have put weight on, I'm not sugar-coating it. You've put on weight on but because you were underweight when you first came here, malnourished even. You're the weight you should be now, the healthy weight. Even so though, you're still a bit underweight for your height." Bruce knew the other man was right and had before he had even spoken. He opened his mouth again, his green eyes blazing but shining. Tony grabbed Bruce's cheeks and jammed his thumbs against his lips to stop him. Bruce shook his head but Tony held him still.

"God, can you go one day without insulting yourself? Bruce, you're not fat. You have a belly now but it's much better than the underweight you. I prefer you like this, you look so much healthier and happier and nicer. You look fucking amazing Banner, I always thought that but you suit having this extra weight so much better. If you think you're fat, I'm obese! There's no way I'd have gotten as far in there as you did. I'm sorry I laughed, I shouldn't have. Are you ok? Is it painful?" Tony sighed and rubbed Bruce's stomach where it started to disappear into the wall. He shook his head, his gaze dropping down when Bruce didn't respond, his hand returned to his face. He lifted it when he hear a small sigh and felt a small nudge against his hand. Bruce relaxed his face into his hands, all signs of green in his eyes gone. They were replaced by tears threatening to spill over.

"I'm sorry I got annoyed, you're only trying to help. I'm fine, it's not sore just really uncomfortable and tight. I'm annoyed at myself, not you. I wanted to finish the suit for you because you've been working so hard lately and I thought that maybe I could do that when you left. It was a stupid idea, Jarvis warned me but I went ahead anyway. I only came in enough to reach the plate but apparently that was too far" He glared over his shoulder before pushing the plate towards Tony, "This is what I get, I suppose." Bruce mumbled into Tony's hands with a sigh. A hot tear beaded at the corner of his eye.

Tony was taken aback and stunned. He watched Bruce with an ache in his heart and yet some admiration. He glanced at the plate and joints. Bruce was in this mess because he had wanted to do something for him, to be nice; Tony wasn't familiar with that concept. He frowned and watched the tear finally escape and crawl down Bruce's cheek. He swiped his thumb across and brushed it away. Bruce looked up at him and, without thinking, Tony leaned in and gently pressed his lips against Bruce's forehead and scooped him up into a hug, or as close as he could get to a hug. Bruce gaped but let himself be comforted; he shyly wrapped his arms around Tony's waist when he heard the muffled 'thank you' against his shoulder. When they broke apart, Tony coughed awkwardly and stood quickly but Bruce reached out and pulled him back. He smiled slightly and snaked his arms around Tony's neck and crushed him into his neck. Bruce, bright red, shyly pecked his cheek as they broke apart. Tony chuckled and shook his head.

"You're right, it was a stupid idea but you were trying to help, and I think that's adorable." Bruce ducked and wriggled self-consciously. "Now it's my turn to help you," Tony nudged Bruce's squished stomach, "What does Christopher Robin do again to get Pooh out?" Bruce glared up at Tony.

"I'm not a bear and I'm not in a rabbit hole. I didn't think though, we do have that in common." Bruce sighed while Tony sniggered.

"Good thing too or I'd have to leave you there." Tony laughed at Bruce's horrified expression, "I'm kidding, and I'll get you out soon. Jarvis, where are the others?" Tony stood up but stopped when Bruce's hands shot out again and grabbed his wrists. He looked down in surprise at the terrified scientist.

"Please don't! It's bad enough you see me like this, the others can't!" Tony, seeing how desperate Bruce looked, nodded understandingly.

"Ok then, plan B" Tony smiled and patted Bruce's head.

"What's that?" Bruce frowned, lowering his head onto the table. He shifted his feet.

"I'll get you out myself. Looking at you from both sides, you may as well continue forward, give me your paws, Pooh." Tony moved in front of him and offered his hands. Bruce's head shot up at the offer and he stared up at Tony. With an unease smile, he stretched out his arms and grasped Tony's hand. Without warning, Tony launched backwards, yanking Bruce's chest off the table with a strangled gasp. In the lab, Bruce's feet scrambled to help. After five minutes, Bruce had moved, but nothing to write home about; a couple of centimetres.

"Jesus, you really are stuck. How did you even get so far in?" Tony gasped, trying to catch his breath. Bruce shrugged wordlessly as he collapsed on the table. He started to prop himself back up again but soon discovered he couldn't. More of his stomach was inside now which restricted his back movement and stopped it from flexing back far enough to draw his elbows in. Tony watched him struggle, and eventually give up, with worried eyes. He stood up and looked down at the defeated man. Tony grumbled and disappeared into the lab.

Bruce's gaze followed him, confused. He lay in silence for a moment until he felt a hand pressing into his soft stomach that still remained outside. He jolted in surprise and kicked his feet with a cry.

"Calm it, big guy. It's only me. I'm just seeing how much damage we done there." Tony's voice drifted into the storage room and Bruce relaxed.

"And?" Bruce hopefully turned his head in the direction of the door. He hear Tony make an undecided noise and felt his other hand rest on his calf.

"Still a good bit of you in here. Let's try again. I'll stay on this side, that way we can both work." Bruce nodded and sighed. Just as he looked away he seen Tony head pop round. He looked over at him just in time to see the phone whipping round and clicking before he disappeared again. Bruce wriggled desperately, swinging his legs back and forth.

"Tony!" Bruce roared. He heard a snigger from the other room.

"Sorry, but this is too precious to not have pictures of." Tony dropped his phone on the table nearby and shoved his hands into Bruce's struggling backside.

"oommprh!" Bruce took that as his cue and braced against the wall and pulled. At first, there was no progress; Tony's violent shoving, Bruce's yanks and wriggling all had no effect. Bruce growled and dropped down to grab the table's edge. Tony twisted and rammed his shoulder into Bruce. Soon, Bruce felt himself moving. He looked back to the gleeful sight of more flesh. "Tony! It's work-ooph-king!"

Tony, upon hearing Bruce's excited cry, found a sudden burst of energy and bashed into his target. Bruce jutted forward, knocking both men off. Tony stumbled and regained his balance. He looked down to see Bruce's stomach more or less gone; his legs pedaling, no longer able to reach the ground. He lifted his legs and held them with his biceps as he resumed his pushing.

Bruce, resumed wiggling, delighted to feel he could move easier. He grabbed the edge which was much closer and pulled with all his might. Suddenly, Bruce moved. One minute he was still, next he was flying across the table and tumbling down onto the floor and into a basket of cloth.

Tony fell forward as Bruce disappeared. He hear an almighty crash and booked it round the corner into the storage room. Bruce was nowhere to be seen, only a sea of cloth. It suddenly erupted and Bruce appeared, dazed but grinning up at Tony. He giggled and collapsed onto the soft material with a sigh. Tony kneeled down beside him and shook his head with a laugh.

"What?" Bruce opened his eye and looked up. Tony gaped in disbelief.

"You just got yourself well and truly stuck in a vent, freaked yourself and me out, and you're asking what?" Bruce blushed. He sat up, wincing slightly. Tony frowned and rubbed the area on his stomach that was jammed. "Are you ok?"

"Just bruised. Nothing I didn't expect." Bruce smiled and glanced at the vent. "its smaller from this angle." He grinned sheepishly at the glare Tony sent him. His face softened when Bruce hugged him.

"Thanks for helping." Bruce muttered into his ear.

"Anytime, silly old bear." Bruce blushed at the nickname. Tony rolled his eyes with a fond smile. "Come on, no more work for you. Use the door this time." Bruce hide his head and ducked out the room followed by a sniggering Tony who replaced the vent cover.

"You won't let me live that down, will you?" Bruce mumbled. Tony grinned and held his phone up.

"Not in a million years." Tony teased, waving his phone. Bruce could just make out his own upper half in the storage room.

"You wouldn't…" Bruce stated slowly. Tony grinned and sprinted from the room, Bruce hot on his tail.

"CLINT!"

"TONY, DON'T YOU DARE!"

* * *

**I'm cruel to them, I really am. Review what you think and if you want anymore :P I'm open to suggestions of how, where and who helps him :)**


End file.
